More than 1,000 Scottish Water staff to stage fresh strike in pay dispute
Unison members will walk out on April 22 and 23, following a one-day strike on March 28.
More than 1,000 workers at Scottish Water will go on strike for two days later this month in a dispute over pay.
Staff represented by Unison will walk out on April 22 and 23, following a one-day strike on March 28.
The union warned emergency repairs and water quality checks will not be carried out, and problems reported with water supply, sewage or drainage will not be dealt with until the strike is over.
A strike ballot took place in February with 65% of votes in favour of walkouts.
Unison says the offer from Scottish Water – a pay increase this year of 2.6% or £1,050, whichever is higher – fails to compensate staff for a decade of real-terms pay cuts.
Unison Scotland regional organiser Emma Phillips said: “No-one wants strike action. We have done everything we can to persuade Scottish Water senior managers to put a fair offer on the table, but they are refusing to be reasonable.
“Staff have suffered a decade of pay deals which haven’t kept up with inflation. They’re fed up with being underpaid and Scottish Water senior managers must start to see sense.”
Unison Scottish Water branch secretary Tricia McArthur added: “Scottish Water workers deserve to be paid fairly for the services they provide.
“It’s important this vital publicly-owned service that so many rely on is protected, as are its dedicated workforce.”
A Scottish Water spokesperson said: “We are very disappointed that we have still not been able to reach an agreement with the trade unions.
“We would encourage them to restart meaningful negotiations as soon as possible and to recognise the need to agree on a sustainable pay award for our people.
“No-one benefits from industrial action and our focus is on continuing to deliver for our millions of customers across Scotland.
“Our above-inflation pay offer is fair and progressive, prioritising the highest percentage increases in the business for those on the lowest salary grades – money that should be in employees’ pockets now.
“We have improved the offer in an effort to reach an agreement with the trade unions and we are now offering a combined deal for 2024/25 and 2025/26. This is a strong offer which is above inflation and the public sector pay policy.”
